Farewell my dear friend

Yesterday was a profound day of both mourning and celebration for us. Gandalf, our devoted companion of five years, passed away sometime the previous night. I knew something wasn't quite right when he didn't come to greet me in the morning, and especially when he failed to appear at the door upon my return from my run. He was lying peacefully stretched out on the rug under our futon, but he was stiff, lifeless, cold, and not breathing.

Once I got over the shock, and cried perhaps as hard as I have in years, I bundled Gandalf's body in some towels and took him to the vet, who believes he may have had an internal rupture or aneurysm of some kind. An autopsy would cost more than we would wish to spend just to satisfy curiosity, and wouldn't bring our beloved friend back anyway. He also turned out to be much older than DL and I believed, at least by 5 years, which means he was no younger than 11 and probably closer to 12 or 14. That's the nominal lifespan of his breed, but he never acted "old" even near the end.

Gandalf already was full grown when we found him outside our apartment stoop shortly after we moved in. He was crouched in the snow behind the landscaping, shivering and wet. Maine Coons have water resistant coats, but he was so emaciated that his natural weather resistance was gone. So was my resistance for taking him in, not that I would have had an ounce of hesitancy anyway. I'm a passionate animal lover/rescuer and a natural born softie for long haired tabbies, so this was nothing but sheer destiny.

We fell in love with him right away, those big golden eyes and that friendly personality destined him for us, and us for him. He was such a beautiful, wonderful and enlightening creature! He gained plenty of weight after we had him vaccinated, neutered, wormed and well fed for a few months. He became my constant home companion and creature comfort when DL was away. Gandalf slept with us on cold nights and mostly on our futon the rest of the time. Since he was a very large kitty, I would surmise that he probably provided me with more warmth than I was able to give him. The photo above was on our balcony two summers ago. Isn't he gorgeous?

I called DL, who is on a dig in Tanzania, to report the sad news. We agreed not to be too stricken any more over his passing, but to celebrate the joy, comfort and love he brought us in his short time here, and to celebrate that we were able to provide for him the loving and quiet home such a sweet and magnificent being so deserves. I'll miss you Gandalf, you were the best. Thank you for all the love you brought to our lives.

Peacefully yours, Susan
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